The Second Chapter
by TheDoctor98
Summary: "You told me once, you said my story would never end. Why did you lie to me?"
1. Proluge

Disclaimer: This is where I put the fact that I do not own anything Doctor Who-ish and confirm my worst nightmare. Oh well...

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Prologue

Mary stared down the street, squinting into the cold wind. The doorway she stood under didn't shelter her from much. She wrapped her coat tighter around her. "He said he'd come." She assured herself. "He said he'd come, and he'll be here."

The street was empty. All the shops were closed. It was eerie. Quiet. Too quiet. Mary sighed. No one was coming. She might as well leave. As she stepped down from the curb, she caught her breath. She'd seen something out of the corner of her eye. Was he coming? She turned, a greeting on her lips, but it died immediately. Instead, an exclamation of surprise sprang out. At the end of the street, suspended in midair, a small ball of light was…dancing? As it hopped and sprang lightly, it slowly approached her. Mary stepped toward it, mesmerized, and reached out her hand. The ball came closer and closer. It seemed to be getting more agitated, bouncing higher and more quickly. Suddenly, it stopped. And Mary touched it. She screamed. The ball gave a brilliant burst of light.

And then she was gone.


	2. Chapter 1

By way of introduction, this story takes place during the Doctor's 15th regeneration. Please review and tell me what you like/dislike. And if you have read this story before, I'm the same author, just moving my account over to a different one.

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I do not own anything related to Doctor Who, but don't I wish!

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Chapter 1

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since the accident. He still couldn't quite grasp it. His parents were gone...well, almost parents. Foster parents since he was a baby. But he knew them like parents...and missed them like parents. He didn't know what would happen now. There were two different families trying to get legal custody for him. He didn't care. He didn't care about anything anymore. Except his sister. Sarah. She wasn't his real sister either. In fact, she was almost exactly the same age as him, as far as anyone could figure. She was another foster child his parents had adopted. Nobody knew who either of their parents was. Like all those mysterious kids, they had shown up on the orphanage doorstep one night. The orphanage mistress had been kind enough to take them in. Then about a year later they were adopted. And now they were orphans again...

"JOHN!" He started. "You were daydreaming again." Sarah, his sister, was standing in front of him, a worried look on her face. "It's weird; you keep slipping off...almost like you fall asleep. But your eyes are still open."

"Yeah, you've said before. Now, what was I saying again?"

"You were going out for a walk? I wanted to go with you."

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, come along." John glanced at the clock. "Wow, was I really out for that long?"

"Just a couple of minutes."

"Really? Weird. Anyway, come along."

They walked out into the apartment hallway. The place they had so many memories. Of course, now they would be living somewhere else, but until they knew where, the owner of the apartments was letting them stay. 'He probably feels sorry for us' John thought.

"Let's go to the graveyard." Sarah suggested in the elevator.

"Okay." John said. He wouldn't mind visiting their parents' graves again.

The graveyard was about five minutes walk from the apartment complex. They were silent until they arrived.

"That's interesting." John commented. "New decor. Looks like they redid some of the gravestones too."

"They do look nicer." Sarah agreed. "And I like all the new statues for the memorials."

They approached their parent's grave and stood, silently, each in their own memories. The stone was a normal tombstone with a small inscription.

John and Sarah Stone.

John - Born 1959 - Died 2013

Sarah - Born 1961 - Died 2013

"It's still hard to not see them as our parents." Sarah sighed.

"I know exactly what you mean." John replied. He looked up from the grave. The trees were all bare, and the ground was covered with orange, brown, and red leaves. The stones and statues looked...sad. That was the best word for it. Sad.

Suddenly, he stiffened. "Sarah, something's wrong. Something's changed."

Sarah turned. She had learned to trust her brother when he used that tone of voice. And he usually had good reason to. His memory was photographic. He could describe a picture in a kid's book their parents had read them ten years ago. No joke. He had proven it.

"What?" She asked

"Something is missing..." He looked around. "The angels for the memorial!" He cried. "They're gone."

Suddenly, Sarah screamed. John looked down at her. Her usually bright cheeks had gone chalk white. She was staring behind them with an expression of horror. John turned around. Behind them, amongst the gravestones, the statues from the memorial were standing. But they had changed. Instead of peaceful, beautiful angels, covering their faces as though they were crying, their hands were now stretched toward John and Sarah, claws reaching out to them. But the worst part was their faces. They now had a demon-like snarl, fangs protruding from their mouths. The Angels had changed, but they stood completely still.

"What are they?!" Asked Sarah.

"Weeping Angels." John responded. "Don't blink."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sarah turned and stared at John.

"How in the world do you know that?! And what do you mean 'Don't blink'?" She yelled.

"I...I don't know." John frowned. "I…I just do. And if you blink or look away they move. Incredibly fast. Which is why I am staring at them right now. We can't get away by running."

"Well, then, with your new pool of amazing knowledge, would you happen to know a way to get away?!"

"Let me think..." John was more confused than he could ever remember being. And that was saying something. "Umm...Oh! Do you have your cell phone with you?"

"How in the world is a cell phone going to help? If you're thinking about calling someone, I highly doubt they'll put much credit into a phone call that claims we're about to be killed by stone angels!"

"Just trust me."

Sarah handed him the phone.

"Thank you. Now keep an eye on those angels."

What are you going to do?"

"Take a video."

John set the cell phone up on a tombstone. He angled it just right to get all the angels in the view. Then he started to record.

"Ok. Come on. Let's go."

"But the angels will chase us."

"Not while the video is running. After it runs out...well, let's hope we're far away by then."

They ran. Faster than they had ever run before. They were breathless when they got home. Panting, they rushed into the elevator. They collapsed against the wall.

"John, how in the world did you think of that?" Sarah panted, holding a stitch in her side.

"I don't know. All those facts just sort of came to me. Weird. Never felt like that before. I was like there was a door in my mind that just opened..."

"Huh?"

"Yeah. I confuse myself too..."

The doors opened and they walked out, hurried to their room, and double locked the door behind them. Sarah collapsed onto the sofa and John went to stand at the window.

"I think we should take turns staying up tonight." John said. "We can split up the night. Sound good?" She didn't respond. "Sarah? Sarah!"

She was sitting on the couch, completely still, rigid and sweating. John ran over and shook her. She didn't move. He felt for a pulse. Her heart was beating wildly, but she wasn't breathing.

"Sarah! Come on!" John reached for a phone.

Suddenly, Sarah gasped. She collapsed over onto the sofa. "Water" She croaked out.

John ran over to the sink and poured a glass of water. He rushed back over and gave it to Sarah. She gulped it down.

"What happened?" John demanded. "You sort of passed out. The same way you describe my daydreams. Except you were stiff and you weren't breathing."

Sarah frowned, still panting from the episode. "It was like a dream. But it was so real. Almost too real. I saw a giant…room, I guess. It sort of looked like the hangar of the Death Star in Star Wars. Not exactly, but sort of. There was a man chained to a post. He was surrounded by a bunch of...things. Aliens. Some of them were horrible. I saw a few of those angels that were in the graveyard too. There was another man talking to the one chained up. He looked cruel. That's really the best way to describe him. 'Well, Doctor' he said. 'How does it feel to be completely helpless while your Earth is being prepared for destruction?' The other man, the one chained up, smiled. It was strange. To see him so bruised and bloody but smiling. 'Oh, I haven't lost yet.' he said. 'After all, this Earth has some things left in store that even I don't understand.' The cruel man laughed. It was an evil laugh. 'Tonight, Doctor. Tonight the last hope for this Earth will be eliminated. And then nothing can stop us.' And then I woke up." Sarah shivered. "I feel like I just ran a marathon. I think I'll go to bed."

John nodded. "Ok. I need to think."

Sarah went off to her room. John walked up to the window. Twilight was approaching quickly. 'Good.' He thought 'Twilight is a good time to think.'

So many thoughts were racing through his head. What were those angels? What had Sarah seen? And, most confusing for him, how had he known those things?

As he stood lost in thought he suddenly realized that it was completely dark. Twilight had passed. But he hadn't been standing there for more than a couple minutes. Where had the time gone? He then realized that he was clutching a pen. He didn't remember picking it up. He looked down and noticed that he had written strange marks all over his arm. About 20 tally marks. For the first time in his life, he couldn't remember doing something. And it scared him. He stared at his arm, trying to make sense of the marks. Something outside the window caught his eye. He squinted. Had something just moved?

Suddenly...BANG! The front door bulged inward! It sounded like someone was trying to break it down.

Sarah came out of her room, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"What's going on?" She yawned. "Who's banging?"

"I don't know" John said. "They obviously aren't friendly though."

"What are you going to do?" Sarah asked. She was surprised at how calm she was. John was calm, and that helped her.

"I don't know." John said. He hated saying that. "Wait and see what they want, I guess." Inside, though, he felt like panicking. First, Angel statues trying to kill them, then strange marks on his arm, time disappearing, and now someone was trying to break down their front door!

During this time, whoever it was had been steadily banging on the front door. Just then, it finally gave. It fell in with a crash. Five stocky figures walked in. They stopped in front of John and Sarah. One of them removed his helmet. His face, at least John assumed it was a he, was like a rhino's. Completely gray, with a long snout and a horn on the end. Simply put, he was very ugly.

"Mo-jo-ko-jo-so-lo-mo-no." The creature said.

Somehow, John found that he could understand this. And it wasn't very good. The creature had said, as far as John could understand, "Suspects, confirmed. Prepare for execution."

"Uh-oh." John said.

"What?" Sarah asked.

John didn't respond, mostly because the creatures were raising their guns to fire. Sarah gave a scream as orange light began to materialize at the end of their guns.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Why do I have to be the dumb baby sitter?" Jacob muttered as he pushed the child in the swing. "On Saturday of all days. I could be out with my friends, I could be at home playing games, but, no! I've got to babysit a stupid toddler."

The "stupid toddler" gave a giggle as the swing rose higher and higher off the ground. Jacob, who was caught up in the fantasies of what he could be doing on this afternoon, gave the swing another hard push, and fell flat on his face. The swing was empty! He stood up, brushing off dirt and looking around, his eyes wide.

"Andrew! Andrew! Where'd you go?"

He turned around, then fell on his backside. Right in front of his face, a small ball of light bounced and flipped. Jacob stared. He stood up, slowly, never taking his eyes off the ball. His hand seemed to reach out on its own, and it touched the light. Jacob screamed, and then the park was empty.

The swing still creaked as it swung, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth…

* * *

Everything seemed to switch to slow motion. John watched as the beams began to stretch from the guns. Almost at the same time, John's vision seemed to blur. He heard a whoosh, and he felt the wind picked up. Then the beams struck. John felt...nothing. The beams exploded inches in front of him, but he felt no heat or pain. Everything around him seemed to go hazy and, for a moment, he saw two pictures. The first was the room they had just left, the creatures still firing laser beams from their guns. The second was a door, with a window at just above eye level. This picture quickly became the more obvious one, and soon swallowed the other. John felt a thud underneath his feet and the picture solidified. He turned around. What he saw stunned him. They were in a room. But that was an understatement. The room was massive. Right in the center, there was a huge circular console on a raised pedestal. The rest of the room was empty, except right under the console, which was full of dangling wires. Immediately, John felt a sense of familiarity. But this kindled no pictures in his memory. He had obviously never been here before. He walked up the stairs toward the console, Sarah following him with a mesmerized look.

When he reached it, two things happened. The first was that the entire room began to tilt. John and Sarah were thrown against the railing. The second was that a blue hologram of a tall skinny man appeared on the console, and began to speak. "John, if you are watching this, then you are in danger and the TARDIS is transporting you to safety. I will explain everything as soon as you have safely landed."

The whole time the hologram was playing, the room was rocking violently back and forth. As the hologram ended, the rocking stopped. But now the room was shaking and jolting. Finally, with a massive, final jolt, the shaking stopped.

"What happened?" Asked Sarah

"I don't know." John replied.

Sarah took a deep breath. "John, the man on the hologram was the man from my dream. The one that was chained up."

"Strange. This...room...must be his." John said. He walked down the stairs and opened the door. "Sarah, we're in London! I recognize it from our vacation last year."

"How in the world did we get to London?!" Sarah asked, coming down to see for herself.

"I don't know. It's weird, but at least we're out of our apartment."

"Well, come on. What are we waiting for?" Sarah began to push out the door.

"Wait, Sarah. Didn't the hologram say everything would be explained when we landed?"

"John, I don't want to stay here a minute longer than I have to. This place gives me the creeps. Please, let's go?"

John sighed. "Ok. Let's go."

As they shut the door behind them, the hologram flickered to life on the console.

"John, I am so, so sorry. But it's time for me to tell you who you are...


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

John followed Sarah out of the room, closing the door behind him. People were passing by on the sidewalk, cars were zooming by on the street, and everything was in the general hubbub of London. John grinned and turned to Sarah. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. Sarah was staring open-mouthed at something behind them. John turned, and saw immediately what had surprised her.

"A Police box?!" John exclaimed.

"But that room was huge!" Sarah nearly yelled, attracting a couple glances from nearby pedestrians.

"Bigger on the inside than on the outside." John murmured.

Sarah still couldn't make heads or tails of it. "How is that possible?"

John shrugged. "Well, after what we've been through today, I'm hardly surprised."

Sarah shook herself and turned to John. "So we're in London. Now what? We don't have any money, apart from what's in our wallets, and we don't have anywhere to go."

John sighed. "Well, I'm hungry. We need to get something to eat. And if I remember correctly, there's a cheap fast food place around the corner. Come on."

John, of course, did remember correctly, and they sat down to eat.

"So, what do we do?" Sarah asked. "And what about tomorrow? Where are we going to sleep tonight? People are going to start looking for us at home too, and they'll find us here and then we will be in big trouble. I mean, whose going to believe our story?"

John frowned. "I know. I've thought about all that too, and I'm sorry to say, I haven't a clue."

They sat discussing ideas, each seeming less likely than the last. As Sarah opened her mouth to voice another idea, John lifted his hand.

"Shh. Listen."

"Hey, no fair! It's my turn!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Quiet and listen!"

Sarah obeyed, and soon realized what John was hearing. Screams. It sounded like whole crowds of people screaming.

"What's going on?" She asked. "A really good sale?"

John looked at her.

"What? I have some friends that would scream like that if the sale was really good." She defended.

John shook his head. "Come on."

They ran outside and around the corner. There they saw a mob of people running at full speed straight toward them. They looked like they were running for their lives. Before John and Sarah could react, the mob slammed into them. Sarah screamed and fell, tearing her hand out of John's. John just managed to keep his feet, struggling to get out of the crowd.

"Sarah!" he yelled, but his cries were drowned out by the mob's screams.

He continued pushing forward, and suddenly found himself at the back of the crowd. He looked at the street, stunned for a moment. At least 20 people lay, completely still, dead even, all over the street. As soon as he tore his gaze away from them, he realized there were still people moving. But they seemed different, somehow. Then he remembered Sarah. He turned, searching the street behind him frantically. Then he saw her, sitting up against a wall, looking not to badly hurt. Breathing a sigh of relief, he ran over.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he helped her to her feet.

"A little bruised, but I'll live." She said. She looked over his shoulder. "Who are they?"

John turned and saw the figures he had noticed earlier, now on their way toward them. John realized now what was different about them. They were robots, with doll-like faces and mechanical movement. As they formed a circle around John and Sarah, he also realized he knew everything about them.

"Autons." he whispered to Sarah.

"Huh?" she said.

Before John could answer, an Auton stepped out of the line and grabbed their arms. Another Auton reached into a pocket in the clothes he was wearing - they looked like the clothes that went on mannequins, which John realized, was what these things were - and pulled out a small square with a button, sort of like a garage door opener. The one holding John and Sarah nodded to it, and the Auton brought its other hand up to press the button.

Suddenly, the Auton exploded. The Auton holding John and Sarah let go, and turned to fight the people that had appeared at the other end of the street. There were at least 50 of them, far outnumbering the Autons. A helicopter zoomed overhead. As soon as he realized what was going to happen, John grabbed Sarah's arm and pulled her over toward the restaurant they had come from. As he opened the door, he saw everyone had left. They must have seen the crowd and joined them. He scrambled over to a table and pulled Sarah after him as he crawled under the table. Then the bullets started to whiz. Windows broke, chairs cracked, and they couldn't hear anything over the noise. Plugging their ears with their fingers, they huddled under the table, hoping it was far away enough from the battle. For five minutes, five minutes that seemed like hours, they huddled underneath the table. Then, as suddenly as they had begun, the bullets stopped.

John crawled out from under the table. "Wait here." he said. "I'm going to see what happened.

Sarah nodded and John crept toward the window. He saw about ten more bodies on the street, all in the same uniform. There was no sign of the Autons. As he peered around, men and women started to appear from behind cars and buildings, all wearing the same uniform as the bodies. One man appeared and started to give orders. John couldn't quite tell what he was saying, but his gestures told enough. He was telling the team to look in the buildings for survivors. He looked at a woman, and motioned her toward the restaurant. John went back over to the table and crouched down.

"It looks like the Autons are gone. But I don't know who these people are. There's someone coming over here, so let me talk, and as soon as I know what I want to know, I'll either come get you if they're friendly or leave if they're not. Okay?"

Sarah nodded and John left the table. She shivered. What had happened? 24 hours ago she was another normal kid. Sure, she was an orphan but even that had become normal. She had friends, went to school, and now...now aliens seemed to be taking a special interest in her. She shivered again. Why was that?

John returned a minute or two later and called her out. "It's okay. They're friends."

Sarah nodded, not sure why she suddenly had a "no questions asked" trust in her brother. She crawled out from under the table and went to join John with the woman who had come into the restaurant. The woman had dark skin and wore a uniform like the rest of the group. She had a friendly, inviting look in her face. And something else, like she had had some experience that left its mark. Sarah couldn't quite understand it.

"My name is Martha Jones." she said. "I'm with UNIT. We came because of the Autons. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about?

John nodded. "Actually, I think you guys arrived just in time."

Martha smiled. "Good. Now, did you two actually see any of this happen? Before we got here I mean?"

"Yes, quite a lot actually."

Martha nodded. "Then I would appreciate it if you would step out here with me."

She led them out of the restaurant and around the corner to where the man giving orders stood. She motioned toward him. "That's General Tyler Mosley. He's the one in charge of this group."

She approached the general and called out. "Sir!"

He noticed them for the first time. "Yes, Ms. Jones?"

"General, these two may have some information we can use. They saw what happened before we got here."

He nodded and looked toward them. "Well? What happened?"

John was slightly surprised at the difference in his brisk manner after meeting Martha. But he quickly dismissed the feeling and recounted everything they had seen. Including the fact that the Autons had seemed to be ready to take them prisoners.

The general frowned. "I've never known Autons to have any interest in prisoners." he said. "Well, if that's all you can tell us, then you're free to go. Come on Ms. Jones. We need to be returning to base."

The general moved away, calling the group together as he did. Martha began to follow, but John stepped forward an touched her arm. "Wait. Can we come with you? We don't have anywhere else to go, and I think you might be interested in our story. Seeing as you were so interested in the Autons."

Martha looked at him. "Your story? What do you mean?"

John shook his head. "I won't be able to tell it all before you leave. And we need a place to sleep tonight. Like I said, we don't have anywhere else to go."

Martha frowned. "Wait here. I'll go talk to General Mosley."

John nodded and stepped away. He watched as Martha stepped over and spoke to the general. He listened and when she finished, he shrugged his shoulders. Martha looked over at John and Sarah and nodded. She motioned them around the side of a building, where most of the group was disappearing to.

John sighed. "Well, Sarah. It looks like we have a place to stay. Tonight, at least."

Sarah didn't respond. She merely followed as John began to walk toward the building.

They walked around the building to see five vehicles parked in a street. They looked big enough to hold at least ten people each. Martha motioned John and Sarah toward one, and they followed her in.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sarah sat silently, staring out the window of the van they were in. Martha Jones leaned over to John.

"Is your sister ok?" She whispered. "She hasn't said a word since you brought her out of the restaurant."

"Well, I think she's in a bit of shock." John said. "After what we've been through, though, I'm not surprised."

"With the Autons, you mean."

"Well, that and the Judoon, and the Weeping Angels, and the TARDIS, and all that..."

Martha frowned. "Judoon and Weeping Angels? Here?"

"No, not here. Back where we live."

"Where?" Martha seemed very confused. "Tell me your whole story."

So John recounted their adventures. How their parents died, how they encountered the Angels, and everything up until they met Martha.

Martha leaned back. "That's an interesting story. Not to brag, but I know a lot about those aliens. And there's your sister's vision. If it is real, then everything UNIT has found now makes sense. The Doctor missing, alien attacks every other day, and the like. But what I would like to know is why they want you two?"

John frowned. "I wish I could help you. Do you have any ideas about that? And I would love to figure out where my 'mysterious knowledge' of aliens came from too."

Martha looked at him a good while. Their eyes locked together. John suddenly felt like Martha was searching him, weeding out every bit of his life. He tried to see through her eyes, to glean any information he could. Then the moment passed and Martha looked away. She sighed. "I have one idea, but I hope for your sake it isn't correct." Martha looked out her window and sighed again. John heard her whisper "Doctor, if I ever needed you, I need you now."

* * *

Martha stared out her window. Thoughts, hopes, and fears all racing through her head. She was afraid. When she had looked into that boy's eyes, she saw something she hadn't seen for a long while. The first time she had seen it was in her old hospital. On the moon. Her thoughts raced back to that day.

* * *

_Judoon__ shifting around the lobby, scanning everyone they __found. She could see perfectly from the balcony where she hid with the man. That strange, strange man. "They're making a catalogue. That means they're after something non-human, which is very bad news for me." _

_"Why" She replied? _

_He just gave her the look. The look that would come to mean so much to her in the future "Oh, you're kidding me. Don't be ridiculous…stop looking at me like that." And that was when she had seen it. Something deep inside him. Dark and powerful… _

* * *

And now she had seen it again. But not in the Doctor. She would've known if it were him. A boy. Human. So what was it? She wasn't sure she wanted to know...

For another hour they drove through woods and streams, until they came to a collection of buildings in a huge clearing. Men and women walked or ran from building to building. It looked to John like a military base. "Well" he thought. "I suppose they are sort of fighting a war."

They climbed out of the can and Martha led the way toward the biggest building in the center of the clearing. Shy typed in a code on a panel in the wall, and the door in front of them opened. They entered into a room filled with people. Rows of switches and buttons lined the walls in panels, lights were flashing everywhere, and everything was in a general noisy hubbub.

Martha pulled them toward a door. "Come on. Down this hallway is my office and we can talk with the General in there."

She led them down a corridor and through a door on their left. The door led into a room that looked like a small laboratory. Tubes were on shelves lining two walls. There was a small chemical tester in a corner. Martha sat down at her desk and motioned John and Sarah to some chairs.

"Let me call the general on the intercom. One moment."

She called him over a small telephone-like device, and then leaned back in her chair. Silence reigned in the room. They could hear the noises from the first room down the hall. Then they heard a knock on the door and the General entered.

The General nodded at Martha, then to John and Sarah. "Good afternoon. I just have a few routine questions to ask you, and then you can go home. First of all I need your names and where you live."

Martha broke in. "Sorry to interrupt general, but I think you should hear what this young man told me on the way here. It's a very interesting story."

He gave her a look. "Very well, then."

Martha nodded at John, and for the second time that day, he told their story. When he finished, the General leaned back in his chair.

"Well, now. That's a very interesting story, young man. How do I know you didn't just make it up?"

"Well, there's the Police box on the street corner." John responded. "You can still see some of the marks on my skin. And you can check back with some people where we live. They'll confirm we live there and that we were there this morning. Eastern time of course."

The General studied him for another moment, and then gave a sigh.

"Well, I suppose I believe you. This means you are going to have to remain here for the time being. We well notify your caretakers and tell them you are safe. I guess I should go look into this. So much for the questions. I'll be back...Is she alright?"

The general gestured to Sarah. She had suddenly gone rigid, just like back at their house.

"Not again! Sarah! Come on, snap out of it!" John yelled.

Just then, she collapsed over in her chair. She raised her head and looked at John. There was something like panic in her eyes.

"Save him!" She croaked out. The she fainted and collapsed onto the floor.


	7. Chapter 6

Please review and tell me what you guys think!

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Chapter 6

Darkness...laughter...monsters...then explosions...the whole world exploding...death...then the calming, steady beep...beep...beep...of a monitor.

Sarah opened her eyes. A white ceiling...wires, tubes...where was she?

It wasn't until a voice answered that she realized she had asked out loud.

"In the hospital at UNIT's base. You were brought here after you collapsed. Your brother was very worried."

Sarah looked toward the voice and saw Martha Jones sitting in an armchair. "How long have I been out?" She croaked. Her throat felt like sandpaper.

"About 4 hours. You gave us quite a scare." Martha leaned forward. "Your brother said this has happened once before. What is it exactly?"

Sarah shook her head. "I don't know." She thought for a moment. "It's like I leave my body and I see somewhere else. Like a dream but very vivid. So vivid I can remember everything. In fact I don't think I'll ever be able to forget it..."

"Well, can you tell me what you saw? The first time and this time."

Sarah recounted what she had seen back in their home. When she finished, she went straight into the second vision.

"This time, I saw the same room I saw the first time. And the same two men. But they were alone now. The first one was still chained up. And they were having a conversation again. The chained man was laughing. "Children, Master? Two kids against you and your army and they escaped? Well, this is very interesting." He said. The one he called Master growled. "Yes, maybe once or twice, but not a third time. And this time I know where they are exactly. But first..." He clapped his hands and about ten of those Judoon things walked in. They formed a line in front of the chained man. "Your time has come, Doctor. No more running." And then he turned to the Judoon. "Kill him!" He barked. Then I woke up."

Martha sat for a moment. Her eyes were gazing at nothing and she was silent. Then she shook herself and stood up. "Thank you. I'll let you rest now." She walked out the door. Sarah leaned back and took a sip from the cup of water on the table beside her. There was one thing she hadn't told Martha about. She suspected it was her own imagination, but maybe not...

On the other side of the door, Martha buried her face in her hands and cried.


	8. Chapter 7

This is probably the last chapter I'll be able to publish in a long while. Moving takes it's toll. But I promise to get the next one up as soon as possible!

* * *

Chapter 7

About an hour later, John sat in the same armchair, having just about the same conversation with Sarah as Martha had. After she had finished describing the dream, she sighed and leaned back. John sat with a contemplative look on his face.

"I have a couple questions and comments." He said. "My first question is why did you faint this time? You didn't last time..."

"I've been wondering that too." Sarah replied. "I think it may be because this dream excited me so much more than the first one."

John nodded. "Maybe."

Sarah hesitated. "There is one other thing. Right before I woke up, and as everything was fading, I thought…I thought I heard you. Your voice yelling something, I couldn't tell what. But I've been thinking about it, and I don't see how it could be real."

John frowned. "I wonder..."

Sarah leaned forward. "What?"

John hesitated. "Well..."

Just then, the door opened. Martha stepped in. She nodded to them. "John, Sarah, I'm here to take you two to your new rooms. We moved you to an underground section, because we suspect the Master is going to stage an attack on UNIT. At least, so we surmise from the dream. He obviously knows you're here."

John frowned. "How could he know? That's another thing I can't figure out. You destroyed all of the Autons. How could he possibly know we went with you?"

Martha shook her head. "I don't know either." But he obviously does. Now, Sarah, I have permission to take you out of the hospital if you feel up to it. How are you feeling?"

"Much better. I would love to get out." Sarah said.

"Good. Let's go then."

She took them out of the building and across the clearing, leading them to a door that was armored just like every other one in the clearing. She flashed a card across a panel and the door opened. They entered what John took to be an elevator. His suspicions were confirmed when he felt the floor begin to move down.

During the trip down, Martha handed a card to each of them. "These are identification cards. You saw what I did to open the door. All of the buildings have those panels. You have to show these to get into anything." She handed John a small phone-like device. "And this is something you can use to contact me. I have the other one. Just press this button and mine will notify me. Then you can simply use it as a phone."

The doors opened and Martha led them out. They followed her to a hallway, where Martha turned to a door on the right. It entered into a simply furnished room, a bed along one side of the wall and a small dresser on the other.

"John, this room is yours." Martha said. Then she led them to a door in the wall. "And through here is your room, Sarah."

Sarah opened it to find a room identical to John's.

"There should be some cases of clothes arriving for you soon. And I'll have a schedule of all planned activities sent down. It'll tell you when meals are, roll call schedule, and the like." She turned to go.

"Martha!" John called after her. She turned. "Thank you." He said.

Martha smiled and looked at them both. As she looked at John, she met his eyes. Her smile faltered for a moment, and then returned.

"You're welcome." She said. Then she closed the door behind her. She stood still and silently for a few moments, deep in thought. Then she shook herself and walked back down the hallway.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

That night, everyone was tense. UNIT posted double watch. Some people were up all night, managing machines and preparing for the dreaded attack. But it didn't come.

But John and Sarah knew nothing of that. They slept soundly, their first good sleep in a couple days. They woke refreshed in the morning, with their alarms going off at UNIT's set time. The dressed in the clothes UNIT had provided. Martha had very aptly guessed their sizes. And the clothes were things they would wear at home...for the most part.

After they had showered and dressed, Sarah came into John's room and sat on his bed while he brushed his teeth. "What now?" She asked after he had finished.

"Well, I'd like to talk to Martha about some things." John said.

"About what?" Sarah asked.

"You'll see." John responded.

John "phoned" Martha on the device she had given them, and within a few seconds she answered.

"John? Do you need something?"

"No, we're fine. But I was wondering if we could come up to your office. I'd like to ask you about something. Can we meet you there in about 5 minutes?"

"Sure. I don't really have anything to do or anywhere to go today, so I'm relatively free. I'll send someone down to get you."

"Oh, that's ok. I can remember how to get there."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I have a pretty good memory."

"Ok. See you in a minute then."

She hung up, and John took the device down from his ear. He looked at it, and murmured under his breath, "Huh. The thing actually works..."

Sarah laughed. "Did you expect it not to?"

John shook his head. "It just seemed to small to do anything useful. But, then again, nothing is. Anyway, let's go."

John, as usual, remembered correctly, and before the five minutes were up, they were at Martha's office door. John knocked, and a voice inside called "Come in!" They entered to see Martha sitting at her desk. She looked up and smiled.

"Good morning John, Sarah. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you." Sarah replied.

"Glad to hear it. Now, what is it you would like to ask about?"

"A couple things, actually. First of all, judging from the lack of destruction outside, I assume nothing has happened since last night?" John said with a hint of sarcasm.

Martha frowned. "No. Nothing."

John nodded. "Ok. Now, my second question is who is the Doctor? You seem to know about him, and this whole...adventure seems to be revolving around him."

Martha smiled and chuckled. "You've just asked a question that people have been trying to answer for a few hundred years. But I'll give you what I can."

She paused and leaned back. She was silent for a moment, as if trying to think of a way to start, then said, "The Doctor is a Time Lord. And you should know what that means before you know anything else. Time Lords are from the planet Galifrey and, as you could guess from their name, are masters of time. They look human, but have a few differences, one of which is that they have two hearts. Now, about 10 to 15 years ago, there was a time war. The Time Lords fought a race called the Daleks. And they lost. They all did. The Doctor had to destroy Galifrey in order to keep the rest of the universe in existence. And it hurt him. All the way to his core."

"Now, to focus on the Doctor. About 60 years ago, he was outlawed from Galifrey and exiled to Earth. From that time he has kept Earth safe from...everything really. Aliens, the Master, and just about anything else you can think of. That Police box you came to London in was his TARDIS. It stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. It's his time machine. Now, the Doctor worked with UNIT a long while. He is actually one reason we know all that we do. But a few weeks ago, he just seemed to disappear. Now, that isn't all that unusual for him, but usually we at least get a contact once in a while. Or hear of an alien invasion he stopped. But now we know why. And that is who the Doctor is in a nutshell. A small nutshell, but the best I can do. The Doctor is one of those people you can't understand unless you know him personally. Even then it's hard."

John leaned back "You traveled with him, didn't you?"

Martha started. "How in the world did you know that?" She asked.

John smiled. "You talk like you know him. And like you said, he sounds like someone you can't understand unless you know him personally. And you know a lot about him."

Martha nodded. "Yes, I traveled with him for almost a year. Now, any other things you would like to ask?"

John nodded. "A request actually. I was wondering if we could go back and visit the police box. Or the TARDIS as you call it."

Sarah stared at him with an astonished expression. "Why?!" She blurted out.

"Well," John said slowly. "I felt something I've never felt before when I was there. And I sort of feel drawn back. It's hard to explain..."

Martha looked at John for a long while. Finally she nodded her head. "All right. I can take you there. But to get in, you need a key. The Doctor left me one in case of an emergency. Over on that wall, there's a key rack. Go see if you can guess which one is the key you need."

John raised an eyebrow. "How am I supposed to be able to guess that?"

Martha smiled. "Just try it."

John stood up and walked over to the rack. As he stared at the keys, one seemed to draw him. He could tell it had touched powerful things. He reached out for it, and as soon as he touched it, a spark appeared between his finger and the key. It hurt like an electric shock. He withdrew his hand, and turned around.

"That one." He said.

Martha smiled. "See? I told you. Now, let's get moving. We'll eat breakfast and then leave."

As Martha grabbed the key and turned to go, John looked at his finger. There was a small burn mark at the tip. Suppressing a shiver, he followed Martha and Sarah out of the room.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

* * *

The camp was completely silent. Rachel twisted in her sleeping bag, unable to sleep. It was too quiet. Creepily quiet. With a sigh, she unzipped her bag and flipped open the flap to the tent. She stepped outside and took a deep breath. 'See?' she told herself. 'Nothing to worry about.' She walked toward the small wooden bathroom a few hundred yards away. She had just made it to the woods that blocked off her view when she stopped. The leaves were rustling. 'It's just the wind.' she told herself. Then she looked at her hair. It was completely motionless.

The last thing Rachel saw was a brilliant flash of light, and then she was gone.

* * *

After they had eaten a rather unsatisfying breakfast, John and Sarah followed Martha to Unit's "parking lot". It housed about 5 cars, none of which looked very new. When they asked Martha why, she chuckled. "Helicopters work better." She said. Martha selected a car and motioned them in. They pulled out of UNIT's clearing and onto the path they had arrived on when they first came.

Almost 2 hours later, they stood in front of the police box again. The street was deserted, yellow tape stretched across most of the area. The police didn't seem to have a problem with keeping people out. Apparently, the Autons had scared everyone off for a little while. Martha dug the key out of her pocket and inserted it into the lock, then paused for a moment. She took a deep breath. "John and Sarah," she said as she opened the door. "Welcome back to the TARDIS."

John and Sarah were almost as stunned by the grandeur of the room as they were the first time they had seen it. John again felt a certain sense of...familiarity, or recognition, for the place. Once again, he walked up to the console and stared at the buttons and switches, letting his hand trail along the cold metal. Below, Martha closed the door behind her and looked around. It had changed, but she still knew it. "Hello, old girl." She whispered. A tear began to form in her eye as she thought that the TARDIS would never fly again.

She was soon proven wrong. Suddenly, the TARDIS gave a familiar jolt, sending her and Sarah to the floor. Martha couldn't move for surprise for a moment. Then she raised her head and saw the strangest sight she had ever seen. And when someone has traveled with the Doctor, that's saying something. John was at the console. But he wasn't staring anymore. He was running around and around it, flipping the switches and hitting the buttons. _And he looked just like the Doctor!_

"John!" She heard Sarah scream. "What are you doing?!"

"Rescuing the Doctor" He replied without stopping.

The TARDIS gave another jolt and suddenly everything became still. John stopped, broke something off the console, and came down to join Sarah and Martha. "Sorry, but we don't have time to explain anything right now. We have to go, now."

John looked up at them. Sarah was still staring at him, of course, but Martha was worse. She wasn't just staring, she was trying to see inside him again.

"How did you do that John?" She asked in an awed voice.

"Like we said, we'll explain later. Come on."

He opened the door and walked out. Martha and Sarah exchanged a look. "We?" Sarah asked. Martha just shrugged and followed John out the door.

They came out into a dark corridor. On both sides, it curved in a circle, so they could only see a few yards in each direction. John was glancing around, trying to decide which way to go.

"Where are we?" Martha asked.

"On the space center where the Doctor is held by the Master." John responded.

Sarah shook her head and began to walk slowly down to the right, trying to see further down the passage. As she did, she felt something strike her foot. She looked down and saw a small cylindrical object bouncing down the hall. She chased after it and picked it up. Now she could see a small button near the top and strange scratches all over the middle. Out of curiosity, she pressed the button. The object made a small buzzing sound and a purple light at one end lit up. Instantly, lights in the floor and ceiling turned themselves on.

"What?!" John yelped, startled.

Sarah turned around and showed Martha and John the object. "I think this did it." She said, perplexed. Martha took it from her and turned it over and over in her hands. "Its his screwdriver. He's gotten a new one since I've seen him last."

"Screwdriver?" John asked. "Yes, we recognize it. Two new ones, by the way."

"How do you recognize it? He never lets it out of his sight if he can help it. So if you've seen it then you must have seen him and you're saying the only time either of you have is when Sarah saw him in her dream."

John shook his head. "No time. But it's lucky for us he dropped it."

Martha gave him a look. "Why?" She asked. But John was already heading down the hall.

"Come on." He said.

He led them down the corridor on the right. Martha and Sarah followed, wondering what in the world was going on.

They walked for a couple minutes until they came to a dead end. A wall blocked their way. John stopped and put a hand to his head.

"It's here somewhere..."He muttered, placing a hand on the wall.

Sarah frowned. "What's here? I only see a dead end."

"Shh. Let me think..." He slid down against the wall and closed his eyes.

Sarah gave an exasperated sigh and turned to talk to Martha. She was gone.

In her place stood a large metal robot. It gleamed in the light. Sarah gave a startled scream. The robot moved forward and Sarah shrank against the wall. She seemed to be hearing someone...John?...from a long way off.

"The screwdriver, Sarah! Get the screwdriver!"

By this time the robot was within arm's length of her. It reached out it's hand and a burst of electricity appeared running along it. Sarah screamed again and darkness surrounded her.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

John stared as the cyberman advanced on his sister. Then, as he watched her fall in her faint, he felt something in his head click. He lunged forward, knocking Sarah out from under the descending arm. He landed at the robot's feet, reached his hand out, and grasped the screwdriver, silently giving thanks that Martha had dropped it. He rolled over to see the cyberman standing over him, its hand still coursing electricity. The hand descended for a second time, this time toward John. John lifted the screwdriver and pointed it at the hand. He pressed the button, and felt the screwdriver come to life. As it buzzed in his hand, the electricity around the hand suddenly vanished. The robot stumbled back, giving John time enough to pull Sarah up against the wall, no facing the cyberman again. Hoisting her up with one arm, he held the screwdriver up toward the robot, who was now advancing on them once again.

"Cyberman!" He yelled out. It stopped as if slightly confused. "Yeah, we know what you are. But we've got a job for you." He lifted Sarah with one hand, readying the sonic screwdriver with the other. "You take a message to the Master for us! Tell him to watch his back, 'cause he's got a problem." The robot started forward. "And if he cares to know, you tell him John Stone sends his regards!" John said as he pressed the button. The wall behind him slid open to reveal another room. He fell through with Sarah, twisted around on the floor, and pressed the button again. The door slid shut in the cyberman's oncoming face.

Sarah stirred and opened her eyes. She groaned and quickly shut them again. Her head felt like it was tearing itself in two. What had happened? Mentally, she reviewed the last day. The TARDIS...the screwdriver...THE ROBOT! She bolted upright with a start and opened her eyes just long enough to see her surroundings. She wished she hadn't, she decided. It wasn't worth the pain. Then a voice behind her spoke.

"It's all right Sarah. Lay back down and get your strength back."

She twisted around and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw John standing against the wall. She groaned and laid her head back down on the floor.

"What happened?" She asked. "My head feels like it's going to explode."

John chuckled. "You must've hit your head when we pushed you."

Sarah looked at him. "Why did you push me? And why do you keep saying we?"

John shook his head. "The second question we can't answer. It would take way to long and even I don't know completely why. But we can answer the first one."

He recounted what had happened after she had fainted. He talked so fast, Sarah found it hard to keep up, even after her head stopped spinning. "So we've been in here ever since. You were only out for about five minutes." He finished, after less than a minute.

"How did you know this room was here?" Sarah asked, holding a hand to her head.

"Memories. But we don't have time to go into all that. As soon as you feel well enough, we need to move."

Sarah nodded and held out her hand. John grasped it and pulled her up. A wave of dizziness swept over her again, nearly causing her to fall. She leaned against John until it passed.

"Okay. I'm ready."

"Good. Let's go." John pulled the screwdriver out of his pocket and flashed it at the wall again. It slid open to reveal the passage they had come through. The cyberman was nowhere to be seen.

"What good will it do us going back that way?" Sarah asked.

"We went the wrong way." John said in a cheery tone. Sarah gave him a look, but whether because he didn't see it or for some other reason, it went unacknowledged.

John led the way back down the corridor and past the TARDIS, which looked eerie and ghost-like in the dark corridor. Then they turned the corner and it was gone.

"So, one thing I don't get." Sarah said.

"Just one?" John chuckled.

"Well, okay. A lot more than one. But it's one that I actually want to ask about and that doesn't involve you. If the robot was on the Master's side, then why didn't they send something to come get us as soon as we left the room."

John shrugged. "Maybe they didn't have time." he said as they reached the end of the corridor. A door was at the end of this side.

"Five minutes should have been plenty of time."

"Not if the station is ten miles long." John said as he pushed open the door.

As she stepped through the door, Sarah's breath caught in her throat. The room they entered, if it could be called a mere room, extended for what seemed like a half mile in all directions. It was lit up by brilliant lights all over the ceiling. Tables and chairs dotted the room, some overturned. The carpet was red and gleamed in the light. But what really caught her eye were the walls. Or rather, the windows. The entire side of the room, all the way around, was pure glass. Through it, people could look right through into infinite space. She could see millions upon billions of stars everywhere she looked.

"Sarah," John said. "Welcome to Space-station Elizabeth."

"How do you know what it's called?" Sarah asked, breathless from the beauty.

John shook his head. "Again, no time."

Sarah sighed and a small smile lit her face. "Okay, but you have to promise me an explanation when we get home."

John hesitated, then nodded. "All right. But first we need to get to our work here. Come on."

'Why do I get the feeling that I won't keep that promise?' he thought as he led the way down the steps and began to make his way across the room.

As they walked farther along, Sarah began to notice something. Along walls, there were occasional burn marks. She couldn't figure out what they meant until she saw the body. Sarah screamed.

John whirled. "What?"

Sarah pointed a shaking finger toward the body. A man, lying face down. His back was charred from what Sarah now guessed was a laser. John's face softened. "Yes. I'm afraid we'll be seeing a few of those."

"Why?" Sarah managed to ask.

"What else? An attack. I'll explain it along with everything else. But we need to keep moving."

As they continued, Sarah noticed the bodies more and more. Women, even children were lying at infrequent intervals all over the room. Fighting the gorge that threatened to rise, she averted her gaze, and stumbled after John.

By walking at John's brisk pace, they arrived at the other end of the room in about 5 minutes. John halted and looked at each of the three doors at this section of the room in turn. After a moment, he started toward one to his left. But halfway there, he hesitated.

"Sarah, are you willing to be separated from us for the time being?"

"Why?" Sarah responded.

"Well, the way to the Doctor is through this left door. But Martha and the engines are through the center door."

Now it was Sarah's turn to hesitate. She didn't want to be separated from John, but Martha was probably in need of help. After a moment of thinking, she made up her mind.

"I'll go." She said. "What should I do?"

John grinned. "If you go through that door you'll come to a place where there are two doors after a while. The one on your left will lead you to a cell block. Martha will be in one of those cells. After you get her out, go back to the fork and go through the door on your right. That leads to the engine room." He handed her the screwdriver. "It's 4:33 right now. We want you to use this on the engine coolers and then the engines at exactly 5:03. Got it?"

Sarah nodded. "30 minutes to get Martha and then get to the engine room."

"Yes. And try not to be noticed. We're the ones who are supposed to do that."

"What?"

John shook his head. "Never mind. Just trust us. If you can be on time, I'll be able to tell you everything."

Sarah nodded. John began to move toward the door on the left. "John!" Sarah called after him. He turned. "Be careful." He smiled and nodded. Then he was gone.

* * *

Back on Earth, a mother prepared her family's supper. Sam, her son, called out her as he went out the back door. "I'll be back in time for supper, Mom! I'm gonna go play with Joseph!"

"Fine. Half an hour." She called as he left.

She smiled as she heard the door creak closed. He just wouldn't sit still. She listend to the creak of his shoes on the deck. She frowned when the stopped. She put the knife down on the table and turned to the door. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and she heard Sam scream. She raced to the back door and onto the porch, calling for him. As the door closed behind her, she stopped. Who was Sam? Why in the world was she calling for him on the back porch? She shivered. Something felt so wrong. But she couldn't place it. She shook her head and went back into the house.

* * *

"Idiot." John muttered to himself. "Why would you let her go alone?"

But it was necessary. That much he knew. He didn't know why, but he knew it was. He hoped that he would understand the storm and turmoil that was going on in his head soon. It was getting rather annoying, walking around and giving orders and not knowing why he did it.

He shook himself. Concentrate. He looked around. Everything had that odd sense of familiarity he had felt when he walked into the TARDIS. Eerie...and the instructions popping into his head weren't helping either.

The hallway he walked through seemed to be where the guest's rooms let out. Doors on his left and right receded down the hall. They were all numbered, with the numbers getting bigger as he went farther down. The wall was brown. So many doors...so much in his head...left, right, left, right, left, right...

He shook his head, violently. Was he going crazy? "No." Came the whisper. That annoying, confusing whisper. "Oh? And how would you know?" He thought. "Trust me" It said as it faded away. He groaned and hurried on. Hopefully Sarah was doing better. At least she wouldn't be talking to herself...

* * *

"Oh, come on, Sarah." She said to herself. "Let's get on with it."

She opened the door John had told her to go through. It led to a dimly lit corridor, with black walls. No doors let off on either side, and no windows let in a breathtaking view of space. It was silent. She shivered and hurried through.

After a minute's walk, the corridor brightened and widened. Suddenly there were counters and cupboards and ovens. Cooking utensils lay scattered all over the floor.

As she glanced around at the mess, she heard a noise. John's warning immediately came into her head. "Try not to be noticed." She looked around her for a place to hide, but the only spot she found was a small cupboard. She stuffed herself into it, and forced herself to remain quiet.

Soon, the source of the noise rolled into view. It had a rounded top, about chest high. It rolled on wheels, making a sound like a machine. The tubes coming out from its front swiveled as the top turned on its body. One gleaming tube was on the very top, like a single eye. 'John would know what this is.' Sarah thought, wishing he were there with her.

The thing rolled past and after a reasonable wait, Sarah crawled out of her cramped hiding place. After taking a moment to stretch her sore muscles, she continued on her walk. She came to the fork after a few minutes brisk walk. She slowly and silently opened the left door, peeking around the corner as she did. The hall was empty. Sarah glanced behind her at a clock on the wall. 4:39. 24 minutes left until she had to be in the engine room. Turning back around, she passed through the door.

The corridor instantly changed from the bright, white hall she had been in back to the dark, eerie passage she had started through. Every step she took echoed off the walls. Hesitating only a moment, she bent down and took off her shoes. The floor was _cold_. It wasn't the hardwood floor of the social room. This was stone. 'Why would they put stone on a space station?' She wondered.

She continued her walk, and after what seemed like an age, though she knew it was only about 7 minutes from the occasional clocks on the walls, she saw a light at the end of the corridor. She slowed and began to walk with more caution. Soon, she came to a corner. The light was shining from around the wall. As she peeked around, the light made her blink. As soon as her eyes adjusted, she drew in a silent breath. The hallway was lined with cells, all spaced over two floors. At least one hundred from what she could see. But the cells were all empty. But that wasn't what had startled her. Standing not ten feet in front of her was a green alien with its back turned toward her. It held a weapon in its hands. Tearing her eyes off of the alien, she searched each of the cells in turn for Martha. After a few desperate seconds of searching, she found her on the second floor. She was sitting with her knees drawn up against her chest, her eyes staring off into the distance. Sarah located a stairwell on the other end of the hall. After breathing a silent sigh of relief, she began to think of a plan.

As she started to dismiss ideas coming into her head, a sound came from the end of the corridor she had come from. Glancing back, her heart plummeted. The robot that had passed her in the kitchens had returned.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

As she watched the robot approach, Sarah knew she had a split second to make up her mind. She could turn around and face this robot, or she could try and catch the alien by surprise. And there was Martha to think about.

Sarah turned back just as the robot caught sight of her and shouted "Intruder!". Its voice was high and warbled, like an odd machine. Sarah saw a bolt of light come from it out of the corner of her eye. But she was already moving. She slammed into the back of the alien, shoulder first, knocking it to the ground. She stumbled, but immediately she had regained her balance and was on her way to the stairs, hoping that her tackle had been enough of a surprise to slightly stun the alien. She reached the staircase just as she heard a furious yell from behind her. A wave of heat passed over her shoulder and a red stream of light hit the wall just ahead of her. Whipping around the 90 degree turn, she ran up the steps two at a time. When she reached the top, she turned left and ran straight toward Martha's cell. As she reached it, she noticed Martha was on her feet, peering eagerly down the hall. She pointed the screwdriver in her hand at the lock, and the cell burst open. Martha stepped out.

Suddenly, Sarah felt something hard press into her back. She whipped around to see the alien standing in front of her, it's face inches away. Sarah gave a startled squeal and raised her hands to block her face. As she did, she accidentally pressed the button on the screwdriver with her thumb. The end lit up, and the gun flew out of the aliens hand in a burst of sparks. The alien stumbled back and tripped over the edge. With a scream, it fell to the floor 10 feet below, landing on its head with a sickening crunch.

"Sarah!" Martha exclaimed, hugging her. "Thank goodness you safe. And John?"

Sarah nodded. "He's fine. But we need to get to the engine room."

"Why?" Martha asked.

"John said to use this on the engines at exactly 5:03. It's 12 till right now, so we need to hurry. It took me twenty minutes to get down this hall and who knows how long the other one is."

Martha opened her mouth to ask another question, but thought better of it and nodded. Sarah turned back to the stairs, but she stopped before she had taken a single step. The robot was just coming around the corner!

"Intruders! Exterminate!" It screamed in its warbled voice.

"Jump!" Martha called out immediately, motioning to the edge.

Sarah obeyed without question. She hit the ground and fell to her hands next to the green alien, who was either unconscious or dead. She hoped it was the latter. The impact jarred her, but she hardly felt the pain, immediately turning to run down the corridor. Behind her, she heard the robot fire at Martha, but it hit the wall. Then she heard Martha land and looked back to see her round the corner into view.

Sarah got to the door and flung it open. Martha followed through before it had a chance to swing shut again.

"Lock it Sarah." She panted.

Sarah turned and soniced the door shut. She heard the bolt click into place. Then she turned and followed Martha down the hall.

It took them less than 10 minutes to run what it had taken Sarah 20. By the time they arrived back at the fork, they were both panting for breath and holding stitches in their sides.

"One thing that never changes..." Martha panted. "The Doctor's adventures always put you in shape."

Sarah gave a breathless chuckle and nodded. "One sec...to catch our breath and then we keep going."

Martha nodded. After a few moments their hearts began to slow again, and they weren't gasping quite so hard. Sarah stood up from where she had thrown herself on the floor. Her legs were still wobbly, but they steadied after a moment.

"Ready?" She asked Martha.

"Let's go" Martha responded.

Sarah glanced at the clock as they started down toward the engines. 4:57.

* * *

John hurried down the corridor. Now he had made it to the hospital bay. Everything was white. Everything except the burn marks and the bodies. 'It's like a small black mark on something otherwise completely perfect.' he thought. Then he shook his head. What in the world was he thinking? Where was this coming from? These thoughts weren't his...were they? He couldn't tell anymore. And it scared him.

Soon he came to the end of the hospital wing. 'Next is the hangar where the Doctor is being kept' He thought. 'Where's the door?' He found the door, after a minutes search, but it was locked with a security code. He stared at the number pad, hesitating. How was he supposed to know the code? Then he shook himself. He closed his eyes and put his hand on the pad. His thumb seemed to move on its own.

2-2-3-9-6-5-3. Somehow, he knew it. He looked at the clock on the wall behind him. 5:00 on the dot. Hopefully Sarah was on time.

* * *

Sarah and Martha reached the engine room without further problems. "The Master supposedly has an army." Martha commented. "Where is it?"

Sarah shrugged. She was otherwise occupied with her own thoughts. Now that she was here, how was she supposed to know what the engine coolers looked like?

That problem, though, was easily solved. They soon spotted a sign showing the words "Engine Coolers." over a door.

"Well that was easy." Sarah muttered.

Sarah pulled the door and found it locked. After a quick flash with the screwdriver and a small burst of sparks, however, the door flew open. The room inside was stifling hot. There were tanks full of a green-blue fluid that bubbled like it was boiling. On the far wall there was a massive control panel with rows and rows of green lights flashing. Sarah wandered over to it. Each row was marked 'Cooler 1', Cooler 2', and so on. Sarah glanced at Martha, who nodded. Sarah lifted the screwdriver and pointed it at the panel. She pressed the button, feeling the familiar vibration. Instantly, the rows of lights turned red and an alarm began blaring.

Sarah turned to Martha and shouted over the alarm. "The engines?!"

Martha nodded and turned back through the door. Sarah followed her and closed the door behind her. It did little to block the noise. The alarm was beginning to hurt her head. As quickly as she could, she followed Martha through a door a little ways down the hallway. This door wasn't locked. And it felt even hotter than the first. A chugging sound emanated from the massive machines that filled the room.

Sarah hesitated, then lifted the screwdriver. Before she pressed the button, she glanced at a clock outside the room. 5:03. She pressed the button and held it down as she spun in a circle. Small bursts of sparks in the engines followed the screwdrivers path. As soon as she had pointed at all the possible angles in the room, she ran toward the door with Martha just ahead. As she threw the door shut behind her, a massive BOOM rocked the ground, throwing them to the floor.

Sarah stood up, and turned with a grin on her face to Martha, but as soon as she had, she felt a circle of white heat hit her in the back. Pain arched up her body. She screamed and fell back to the floor. She could hear Martha scream her name, and the warbled voice of a Dalek shouting "Exterminate! Exterminate!"

As she fought to keep consciousness, time seemed to slow. She felt every heartbeat as it coursed through her veins. Fire lanced with ice in her nerves. One last thought filled her head. 'I did it!' Then her eyes closed.

* * *

John entered through the door and immediately ducked behind one of the many boxes stacked near it. He could see the Doctor chained to a post in the middle of the room. And the Master in front of him talking.

"...But not a third time. And this time I know where they are exactly. But first..." He clapped his hands and a door at the other end of the room opened. Ten Judoon walked in, forming a line in front of the Doctor. "Your time has come, Doctor. No more running." He turned to the Judoon. "Fire." He said. Then he began to walk to the other end of the hangar as the Judoon readied their weapons.

'Now.' The consciousness whispered in John's mind. John sprang up from behind the barrel and began to walk toward the Doctor. "Hold on!"

Everyone in the room turned and stared. John noticed the Master's face take on an expression of surprise, and then of fear. It vanished quickly, and was replace once again by his cruel and haughty expression.

"Hold on hold on Hold ON! There, good, I have your attention. That's always a good thing to have." 'Where is this coming from?' He wondered in alarm.

"Now, where I come from it's kind of illegal to shoot people if you aren't some sort of government authority. And seeing as you don't seem to be at all related to our government..." He gave the Judoon a look." I hate to say that you are committing a rather serious crime. Now, I don't know if that makes any difference to you, but I thought you should like to know."

The Master cocked his head. "Who are you?" Then he shook his head. "No, it doesn't matter. You can deal with that one first." He said to the Judoon.

"Oh, I don't think so, Master." John called. The Master paused halfway through the door. "Huh, fancy that." John continued. "A human who knows your name. But that's not all I know. Do you remember the War? The War that lost you everything you ever had? All except your hate. You kept that. Why? What is it about your hate that you love?"

The Master turned. "I don't know who you are or where you are from, but you are going to die today." And he vanished through the door.

The Judoon, who hadn't seemed to notice John until the Master had left, turned to face him. They lifted their guns.

"I wouldn't be doing that if I were you." He said. His hand gripped the metal in his pocket. The metal from the TARDIS.

The Judoon seemed to take no notice. The voice in John's head again whispered 'Now' and John pulled the metal out of his pocket and, with a flick of his wrist, threw it at the Judoon. It was just in time. It struck the first laser beam halfway between them and exploded, throwing John back onto the ground. The Judoon flew a few feet and then slammed into the floor. They lay still.

As he sat up and his vision cleared, John gasped. The TARDIS was sitting in the middle of the room, completely whole and not harmed at all by the explosion, still its beautiful, perfect blue. John's eyes drifted off it and down to the Doctor, who was still standing. He looked strange, standing their smiling his head off, his clothes and hair singed badly. "That was brilliant!" He exclaimed.

John froze. He knew that voice.

"It was you?" He exclaimed.

The Doctor groaned. "Oh, please, what have I done now?"

"You were in my head, telling me what to do the whole time?"

"'Course I was. Now do you mind unchaining me?" John opened his mouth to speak, but the Doctor interrupted him. "I'll explain later."

John shook his head as he went to free the Doctor. 'I'll explain later...' That phrase was getting used to much.

As he was typing in the code on the rear side of the pillar to release the shackles, the Doctor muttered "So let's hope your sister is on time."

No sooner had he said it than a massive _**BOOM**_ sounded through the room and the entire ship rocked underneath their feet. At the same time, John typed in the last digit and the Doctor was free and running toward the TARDIS.

"Let's go! Quickly!"


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Sarah!" Martha screamed as she watched the Dalek's bolt hit Sarah's body. Her skeleton appeared in bright white for a split second, then Sarah reappeared again and collapsed. As Martha sprang toward her, she heard the Dalek loose another bolt. She closed her eyes, waiting for it to hit her.

As she did, she heard the most familiar and welcome sound in her life. The whoosh of a TARDIS. She heard the bolt explode harmlessly into the TARDIS's side and opened her eyes again to see it standing in the middle of the room, between her and the Dalek. Then the door opened and a familiar face appeared. Martha stood gaping for a moment, forgetting about Sarah in her surprise.

"Doctor?" She finally managed to blurt out.

"Very good to see you again, Martha Jones! But we haven't got time to chat now. Let's get her in before the Dalek comes around, eh?" He said, all in one breath.

Martha shook her surprise off as he knelt down beside them. After all, why should it surprise her? Didn't he always escape?

The Doctor and Martha managed to get Sarah through the door just as the Dalek came around the TARDIS. The Doctor turned and faced it, half inside the TARDIS already. The Dalek stopped and backed away slightly, as if in surprise.

"Hello, Dalek." The Doctor said, with his little half smile. "Remember me?"

The Dalek's head swerved from side to side. "Doctor!" It screamed.

"Correctumundo! Oh, no, wait, sorry. Wasn't supposed to be saying that again..." The Doctor said. Explosions were tearing the walls apart now. "But isn't it funny? Your worst enemy, the one you've been trying to kill your whole life, is going to be the last thing you see. Pitiful. Well, enjoy the boom!" And with that he shut the door of the TARDIS and turned around. But before he had taken a step, he stopped. John was sitting on the floor, silently, holding Sarah. Tears streaked his face. The Doctor's face softened for a moment.

'I did this...' He couldn't get the thought out of his head. A phrase from his past came back in stunning clarity. "The most dangerous creature in the universe, soaked in the blood of a thousand generations." It hit him then. That was him. He had always known that of course, but he had never fully grasped what it meant. Until now. A tear came to his eye. 'Why?' He thought. 'Why is it that I can never save everyone? Why am I the last Time Lord?' Then he heard an small whisper in the back of his mind. 'There are others...'

Then the TARDIS shook as an explosion outside rattled against it. The Doctor shook himself out of his trance and ran to the console. His hands moved in the familiar lever and button combinations. 'It's good to be back old girl.' He thought. The TARDIS vibrated in response.

After a few seconds that consisted of a lot of bumping and hopping, the Doctor landed the TARDIS and stared into the clear metal beneath the controls. Martha looked up at him and stood from where she had been kneeling with John. She stepped up the stairs to the Doctor. "How is she?" He whispered. Martha shook her head. "The TARDIS is barely keeping her alive." She leaned against the rail. "Unless the TARDIS can do miracles, she doesn't have long."

The Doctor clenched his fists. His body shook. "Why does someone always have to die, Martha?" He choked.

Martha shook her head again and walked down the stairs and opened the door to the TARDIS. The world outside the door was dark and eerie. Martha shivered. "Where are we?" She asked as the Doctor came to stand beside her. He shook his head. "No idea. I just put the TARDIS on an emergency escape flight. She took us wherever she thinks we need to go."

Martha stepped out, looking around. The Doctor came to the door of the TARDIS and stood there, hesitant to leave John and Sarah. As Martha looked around, she could see the outlines of buildings and trees, but there wasn't enough light to see clearly. And then the moon shoot out from behind the clouds and Martha gasped.

"We're back at UNIT!" She said, excitedly. Then she cocked her head. "Strange. It looks deserted. Even at night there should be some sort of sentry to challenge us..."

As she stepped forward, the door of the TARDIS suddenly slammed shut, throwing the Doctor to the ground. He sprang up immediately.

"No no no no no!" He yelled as the TARDIS dematerialized. He groaned. Today was not going as planned.

"What happened?" Martha asked.

"Something pushed her away. Some sort of time distortion." His screwdriver, which he had taken from beside Sarah when he had picked her up, was in his hand now, and he was flashing it in circles, reading the air. "Question is, what was it?"

He muttered to himself as he kept flashing. Martha turned away and looked across the clearing. Suddenly, she froze.

"Uhh...Doctor?"

"Not now Martha. Not a good time."

"No, really, I think it might be important."

The Doctor turned around with a huff. Then he saw what she was looking at and his mouth dropped open.

"Would that do it?" Martha asked quietly.

The Doctor nodded silently. "Now I get it..." he muttered.

Across the clearing, three glowing circles had appeared, big enough for a man to easily step through. As the watched, figures began pouring out of them. As they began to fully cross the line, they became recognizable. Cybermen, Daleks, Judoon, Silurians, Sontarans, Zygons...what seemed like every one of the Doctor's enemies was coming through the voids.

Martha began to run toward the closest building. " Quick! We need to get inside!"

The Doctor followed as sentry lasers hidden in the walls of the buildings began to fire at the aliens coming through the voids.

"And so ends the story..." The Doctor murmured as he ran after Martha.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

John held Sarah close, weeping silently. The same thought kept going through his mind. 'She can't die...she can't die...she can't die.' He heard the Doctor and Martha talking in low voices, sounding like they were down a long tunnel. He could feel the TARDIS shivering and bumping under him. He didn't care. He could only think about felt the movement of the TARDIS settle, and heard the TARDIS door open. Everything was in a blur and nothing was registering with him. Nor did he want it to.

Suddenly, the TARDIS gave a huge bump, throwing John into the air. He sat up and looked around. The Doctor and Martha were nowhere in sight. The TARDIS door had swung shut, and it was flying itself, from the look of it. John watched as the cylinder in the control panel whooshed up and down. But it wasn't going in the familiar, smooth up and down motion. In fact, it looked as if it were completely out of control!

John raced up the stairs to the console. "What's wrong, old girl?" He muttered as he tried to get it back under control. But without the Doctor whispering instructions in his ear, he was struggling. But what he remembered, which was basically everything, he put to use.

Suddenly, a consciousness slammed into his mind. He heard the Doctor's voice echo around in his head, like it had done so many times already. "John! Put the shields down!"

* * *

The Doctor and Martha had almost reached the building when the aliens first noticed them. A Sontaran fired his weapon at them, as they ducked behind a building. "I've always wondered why I never liked them..." The Doctor murmured. "Can you get us inside?" He asked Martha.

Martha was already feeling along the wall. Her hand found what she was looking for and a square popped away from the wall. Martha flashed her access card across it and a door slid open where the Doctor was leaning, sending him tumbling to the floor.

"Oh, that's clever." He said as he picked himself up. As Martha leapt through, the door slid shut, just after the Sontaran came into view. Martha pulled the Doctor through the total blackness.

"Come on." She whispered. "This is one of the training facilities, but nobody will be here. Not very defendable. UNIT must have seen them coming. They monitor all of England for this kind of disaster. They would have housed up in the barracks."

She opened a door and shoved the Doctor into what appeared to be a small closet. She squeezed herself in alongside him.

"Are we hiding?" The Doctor asked, doubt obvious in his tone.

"No." Martha said as the door swung shut. "Just wait."

Suddenly, the Doctor gave a startled yelp as he felt the floor drop out from underneath him. "An elevator! UNIT's been getting better and better!"

Martha laughed. "All of the buildings are connected to each other by an underground map of tunnels. Every time someone joins UNIT, they're made to spend a whole day in here, doing nothing but memorize the tunnels. Funny, cause they aren't all that big."

By now they had reached the bottom, and the door slid open in front of them. Martha led the Doctor into a tunnel, sparsely lit by occasional overhead lights, dim and flickering. One turn right...another right...one left...then another right. A Dead end. Martha turned to the wall on her left and pushed a small button. A door slid open just like the one they had exited from. Martha and the Doctor crowded in again and the door shut behind them. They waited for the familiar sensation of moving up, but it didn't come. They waited 10 seconds...20...35...50...a minute.

"Something's wrong." Martha muttered. "Can you open the door with your screwdriver?"

The Doctor tried but it refused to budge. The Doctor gave a whistle. "A frequency-modulated acoustic lock. Very well done, UNIT."

"Can you open it?"

"Technically, no. But I have once before. Still don't know how. Let me see..."

Suddenly, a voice filled the small room. "Life forms in the barracks elevator, please identify yourselves."

Martha lifted her head. "Martha Jones, UNIT operative, and...the Doctor."

She looked at the Doctor, and he gave a shrug.

They waited another minute. The air was beginning to feel hot and stuffy. Martha was getting a cramp in her neck. Then, finally, "Prepare for ascension." The feeling came as a relief as the elevator shot slowed, then stopped completely. The door in front slid open and the Doctor stumbled out, then froze. Martha, who had tumbled out after him, plowed into his back, sending them both sprawling to the floor. They looked up. Into the barrels of two guns.

"Who are you?" One of the men asked.

Martha sprang to her feet, accidentally shoving the Doctor's face into the floor again as she did. "Didn't I already say?" She asked. She shoved her ID card into the man's face.

The men lowered their guns. "Ms. Jones. I'm sorry. But when you have an army of aliens pounding at your door, you can't be too careful."

Martha nodded. "Apology accepted. Now, where is General Mosley?"

"This way ma'am."

After waiting a moment to allow the Doctor to pick himself gingerly off the floor, the sentries led them out of the hall and into the barracks control room. Men and women rushed about, some taking places at monitors, some managing the sentry guns outside, some rushing out the door and into the hallway. As they entered, the Doctor and Martha spotted the general on a balcony, barking out orders to the entire room. Martha led the Doctor up the stairs and around to the general. He turned, and a smile lit his face as he saw them.

"Ah, Ms. Jones. I was hoping you would turn up." He said as he shook her hand. "And I see you've brought our runaway friend. Well done."

"Oh, I'm a runaway now, am I..." The Doctor muttered under his breath.

"What do you need done, sir?" Martha asked the general.

"I need you to take a squadron to the main entrance. The invaders are trying to force it open."

Martha nodded. She leaned over the railing and shouted down at the workers "Squadron Two! Arm yourselves and report to the main entrance!"

A small group of about thirty detached themselves from the general hubbub of the room, grabbed weapons from the stacks on the wall, and filed out the door. Martha followed after acquiring a rather large blaster. Halfway out the door, she noticed with surprise that the Doctor was following her.

"You're coming?" She asked.

He nodded. "I need to get to the voids."

"Why?"

He shook his head. "I'll let John explain when he gets back."

Martha nodded, but she didn't miss the fact that he left the explaining to someone else, though she didn't know why.

"I'll be by the elevator until they break in. Which building is closest to the voids?"

"The Cafeteria. Once you get to the tunnels, take one right, then pass one branch, then a left. The dead end should be there. Take my card. You'll be able to open the door with it."

The Doctor nodded. They had reached the main hall now, where they had to separate. The Doctor turned to her. "Martha...well done." He said. Martha thought she noticed a tear in his eye. Then he turned and strode down the hall.

Martha stood for a moment, lost in thought. Then she shook herself. whatever it was, he would tell her when he thought she should know. That was something she had learned about him. He had secrets, but if he thought you needed to know, he would tell you. As she joined her squadron at the door, she had a startling thought. 'What if...no. He wouldn't give up that easily.'

The door was already dented and bent when she arrived. "Defensive positions!" She yelled. "Let's give them a fight they'll remember!"

As the door caved some more, Martha sent a silent thought to the Doctor. "We're counting on you."

* * *

The Doctor peeked around the closet door. The hall was empty. Apparently, the aliens were only interested in UNIT's army, if it could even be called that. 100 men and women. He had seen at least twice that come through the voids just while he and Martha were standing there. He shook his head. They didn't stand a chance. "But that" he reminded himself, "is why I'm doing this."

He crept to the window and looked through. The aliens stood all around the barracks. Two Sontarans were managing a large machine in front of the entrance. The Doctor watched as a long, thick pole sprang from it horizontally and smashed into the door, making it buckle and groan. He chuckled. Even the most creative and advanced species of the universe still got their ideas from ancient humans. Once...twice...three times he watched it smash the door. On the third stroke, it finally gave. The doors tumbled back, bent and smashed beyond repair. The aliens poured through as bolts of light began to fly. The Doctor stood and went to the door. He opened it slowly and waited until the majority of aliens were inside, and the ones that were waiting had their attention fully devoted to the barracks and the battle raging he ran for it. Straight toward the voids, the fastest he had ever run in his life. As he reached them, he slowed. 'What kind of a fool runs straight toward Death?' And he answered himself. 'I do'. With that, he dove into the closest void.

* * *

What he found inside, he would never be able to describe to anyone. The closest he could ever get to it would be to say that he was looking at all of time and space at the same time. Every second in history, every world in existence, every person who ever lived. He was overwhelmed by it for a moment, then forced himself back to his task. He searched for what seemed like an eternity, striving with every fiber of his being. Suddenly, he slammed into it. But he couldn't get in! Then he almost laughed. He pressed against the brighter of the two consciousness's and mentally shouted, "John! Put the shields down!"


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

John stepped back in surprise. Then he shook his head and hurried to lower the shields. He knew the voice, of course. But something had changed in it since it had been in his head. A note of...despair? Sadness? Whatever it was, he didn't have time to think about it, for at the moment he flipped the switch, the Doctor began to materialize. At first, all John could see was a shapeless dark mass floating in midair. Then it began to take on a shape. Legs and arms became visible, color increased, and in a few seconds the Doctor was standing in the TARDIS again. He stumbled back as he came into full view, as if dizzy. But he caught himself immediately and staggered up to the console, breathing heavily, like he'd just run a long race. John stepped back. The Doctor silently tapped three buttons in quick succession and a small square slid down on the console to reveal a small hatch. The Doctor reached over and pulled on the handle. It didn't budge. He tugged again, but it still refused to open. The Doctor sighed.

"Please trust me. Just one last time, old girl. Can you think of another way?"

John felt the TARDIS shudder under his feet, and the hatch popped open. Yellow light flooded out. The Doctor took a deep breath and peered in.

* * *

As he looked into the TARDIS's heart, the Doctor opened his mind to the time stream. It flew through his whole being, consuming him, bringing back memories that he had buried or forgotten long ago. Every person he had met from over the years flashed before his eyes, making him want to laugh, cry, and scream in frustration all at the same time. All his faces, faces he had grown to like and enjoy. And every one of his victories. And defeats. Old loves and hates, everything he had ever been.

The Doctor. It kept echoing through his head. Doctor...Doctor...Doctor...Do...Do. And very slowly, little by little, it changed. And for the first time in a thousand years, he was hearing his name. His real name. His greatest secret. The name that could bring down Silence, that could change the course of time, that could start a war, the most powerful name in the universe. Suddenly, he could hear the music. Sad, mourning music. He looked up, and saw the Ood. It gazed at him with its expressionless face and tilted its head. Its ball, held in its hand, lit up as it spoke. "The universe will sing you to sleep, Doctor. One last time."

The music swelled as the Doctor grimaced in pain. He fell to the floor on his hands and knees.

He lifted his head to look at the Ood. "You told me once, you said my story would never end. Why did you lie to me?" He asked, confusion swelling inside him through the pain.

The Ood's head tilted again, and its soothing voice responded. "The Story has not ended. The Second Chapter is merely beginning. Sleep in peace, Doctor. Savior of the Universe."

Then he understood. And the memories rushed to the front of his mind. The birth, the hurried run to Earth, it all happened in preparation for this moment. His final moment. The Doctor closed his eyes and stood, leaning his head back as he felt the beginnings of the attempted regeneration. But it would do no good. He would not let go of the Time Stream. He couldn't.

As he felt the last fluttering of his hearts, he smiled. He didn't want this for his son, of course. But if this was what it took to keep the universe safe and alive, then so be it. The magnificent chords of the universe climaxed as the energy exploded from his entire body. "I love you." He thought. "Remember that." And then he died.

* * *

John watched as the brilliant light surrounded the Doctor. He heard the deep voice saying "The universe will sing you to sleep, Doctor. One last time." But he could see no one. The Doctor fell to the floor. He said something John didn't catch, and the voice answered. "The Story has not ended. The Second Chapter is merely beginning. Sleep in peace, Doctor." The Doctor stood, and suddenly, John felt memories, not his own, flooding through his head. He stepped back, on the verge of panic. He saw the face of a woman with beautiful features. Dark eyes, high cheekbones, and smooth, fair skin. John could tell from some her face, and from the sense of familiarity, that he was seeing his mother. He saw the inside of a room, the walls and ceiling white, wires and tubes everywhere, his mother on the bed, her face strained in the birth pains. He saw the same room, with his mother, looking pale and sick, holding a baby. Holding him. For the first time. And the last. A man stood beside her. John suddenly and without a doubt knew that he was looking at the Doctor, more than two thousand years ago. His face was different, but he was the same man. He had the same look in his eyes. A dark, sad, power. And then he saw a dark street corner on Earth, with the Doctor gazing down on his son's sleeping face. A tear dropped from his eye as he turned and entered the TARDIS.

* * *

All this passed through his head within seconds, and John blinked as he returned to himself. A tear formed in his eye. He shook his head and realized the Doctor was standing again. His head lifted, his arms spread, and a new light suddenly burst from him. As John watched, the Doctor's voice filled his head. "I love you. Remember that." Then the light died and the Doctor was gone. He had dissapeared. John knew, somehow, that he was never coming back.

As he attempted to recover from his surprise, John suddenly felt his heart falter and an immense pain in his chest. He screamed and fell to the ground. His heart felt like it was being split in two. His head exploded with memories and knowledge that John knew, even through his pain, were the Doctor's.

John writhed on the floor for what seemed like a lifetime. But after a long while, he realized that the pain was lessening. After another minute, it was nearly gone. He sat up, shaking and sweating, and put a hand to his head. The new memories flooding him were confusing and disorienting. He looked up and started with surprise. Another alien was standing in front of him. Its face was covered in tentacles, its eyes impassive. It held a white ball in its hand. As it spoke, the ball lit up with a white light. "Welcome, Doctor. You are the Second Chapter. Do not abuse the privilege. May you bring peace and joy to all." John recognized the same deep voice that he had heard speaking to the Doctor. As it finished speaking, it faded and disappeared. John stood and, after his legs stopped wobbling, he made his way back up to the console. The Ood, at least, that was what the new memories called it, had told him he was the Doctor. But what did that mean? John shrugged the thought off as he began to pilot the TARDIS back to Earth.

* * *

Martha felt the man beside her drop to the ground, a hole burned in his chest. They had lost scores of men and women to the attack had been going on for five minutes now, never relenting. UNIT had called in its third squad to reinforce the entrance, leaving only one third of the army to manage the machines. But it wasn't enough. The aliens were gaining little by little. Everything now depended on the Doctor.

Martha lifted her head above her cover long enough to aim her weapon and drop a Silurian, then ducked back. Not a second later, a bolt whizzed by where her head had just been. 'Come on, Doctor!' She thought.

As she prepared for another shot, she felt a change. Like something had shifted. Suddenly, the shooting stopped. She peeked up to see the aliens flying out through the door. But they weren't running. They were being sucked. Martha was astounded. She didn't feel anything, but panic was written on the face of every alien. Martha stood and raced to the door as the last Cyberman was sucked out. The three voids were shrinking. Martha watched with her mouth open wide as the Cyberman flew into the center void, and the voids disappeared entirely. An amazed cheer went up from the remaining UNIT troops. "Thank you, Doctor." She whispered. Then she laughed. Why was she ever surprised? He never lost. Did he?

* * *

John parked the TARDIS in UNIT's clearing. He sighed and turned to go. As he did, he remembered Sarah. He couldn't believe he had nearly forgotten her! He stepped down toward her. She was still alive, but he knew she couldn't stay long. As he knelt by her, a woman's voice filled his head. "Let me give her one last gift." The TARDIS said. A white light glowed around Sarah's body, and she disappeared. The TARDIS spoke again. "She's in a chamber deep in my heart. Time will not harm her." And her presence faded.

John stood and opened the TARDIS door. Almost instantly, he was hit by Martha. "John! You're all right!" She shouted as she hugged him. After a moment of surprise, he returned the hug. As they separated, Martha looked over his shoulder. "Where's the Doctor?" She asked.

John shook his head. "I'll explain that to you when I explain everything else."

Martha frowned. She shut the door behind her. "Can you explain now?" She asked.

John sighed. The look in Martha's face let him know he had no choice. He nodded.

* * *

On more chapter and then it's over! I have a few sequels if you guys want them, and I'd love for some Beta Reader help if you're interested!


	16. Chapter 15

So, here it is! The Last Chapter! Hope you enjoy, and yes, I am planning at least one sequel.

* * *

Chapter 15

John and Martha sat on the floor of the TARDIS, the floor humming gently beneath them. John shook his head. "I don't know where to begin." He said. He thought for a moment, then said "I guess I should start with when I was born."

"When the Doctor was 265 years old, he married another Time Lord. I don't know her name. Somehow that was important enough to the Doctor that he kept it from me. Anyway, three years after they were married, I was born. I was the Doctor's first son. So it wasn't odd at all that I was to be presented to the Gallifreyan high counsel eight days after my birth. The strange part was that as soon as the oracle caught a glimpse of me, she started to whisper and tap and say all sorts of strange nonsense. The high counsel apparently knew what she wanted, because within five minutes, they had banished me to be brought up on Earth as a human. Earth seemed to be the fitting planet, considering that humans were the closest race to us as far as looks. The Doctor didn't understand and I don't think even the Counsel really knew why, they just knew I was going to be vital to the existence of the universe, whether in the future or past, and that I had to be hidden. Even at that time, rumors of an awful war were circulating. But, for whatever reason, it was done, and I was made a human and placed in the 21st century on Earth."

Martha held up a hand. "Hold on, how did they make you a human?"

John frowned. "Well...do you remember when the Doctor made himself human to trick the Family of Blood."

Martha nodded.

"Well, the Time Lords did almost the same thing to me. Except that instead of a fob watch, they changed me so that when I began to see the threats to time, I would start to reverse back to my Time Lord heritage. And I think they knew that whenever that was, it would be the Doctor's last adventure. They molded me so that I would inherit his memories. So, the Doctor was forbidden to ever contact me. If he had it would have triggered the Time Lord existence inside of me and time would have gone hectic. I grew up on Earth and was adopted by human parents. But about the time my adopted parents died, the Master finally figured out that I existed. He'd suspected that the stories the Time Lords were telling of a still birth or miscarriage were not true. That's why the attacks always seemed to center around us. Once he knew I was a Time Lord, it was easy to find me. He was trying to kidnap me to force the Doctor, who he had already caught while the Doctor was investigating the Master's spacestation, to help him. That's why I was able to find my way around the spacestation. The Doctor was feeding me his memories. And he was able to contact Sarah, who had a slight telepathic ability, and give her those visions. Anyone who hangs around with a Time Lord for any amount of time will have at least a minimum psychic ability.

"The Master's plan was to secure a weak parallel world and then make it collide with Earth. By doing so, he would effectively have time itself helping him. It's hard to explain, but let's just say that time can't have two of the same thing. And that is what a parallel world is, in a basic sense. Exactly the same as what we have now, just different on the surface. And that's why the Doctor gave his memories to the Time Stream. He had seen enough of this universe throughout time that the Time Stream could use his memories to fix itself. To be able to tell which world was which. But when he did that, it consumed him."

Martha jerked her head up. "So...he's..." She didn't finish, but John knew what she was asking.

He nodded. "In a human sense, yes. But as he did, his memories were implanted into my head. I'm still trying to figure out whose are whose. So, I guess I'm almost just a new regeneration. I _am_ the Doctor."

Martha didn't answer. Finally, she shook her head and said, "It just doesn't seem like him, to give up so easily."

"I know what you mean. But I think he could feel that he was going to die ever since he saw the voids appear. At least, that's the impression I get from the memories."

They sat for a couple minutes, lost in thought. Martha broke the silence.

"And Sarah?"

"The TARDIS said it put her in its heart so she would be unaffected by time. Not quite sure what that means, but I do know that she isn't coming out of there. She's gone."

Martha nodded. "I'm sorry." An awkward silence extended for a few seconds before she broke it. "One more thing. How did you rescue the Doctor?"

John leaned back. "Do you remember right before we went out of the TARDIS onto the spacestation that I broke something off of the console?"

Martha nodded.

"Well, I didn't exactly break it. It was supposed to be taken off. That was an emergency beacon that the Doctor had created a little while before. Every time he was going somewhere he thought he might like to get away from quickly, he would take the beacon with him. When it was destroyed, the TARDIS would sense it and appear in that exact spot. Quite an effective defense, actually. One of his better ideas. He just couldn't bring himself to do anything to the TARDIS console, I guess. Sentimental old man..."

Martha nodded again, smiling. "What are you going to do now?"

John sighed. "I don't know, really. Probably just travel around like the Doctor. Re-familiarise myself with the universe. Maybe go see home one more time."

"UNIT would love to have you." Martha suggested.

John shook his head. "Thanks Martha, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet. I need to get used to being the Doctor. I need to go back home..."

She nodded. "Okay then." She said as she stood. "But if you ever need me, you know where to find me."

John smiled. "Thanks."

Martha returned the smile, then turned and left the TARDIS. She stopped outside and sighed. Then she smiled again. As she walked towards the barracks to join the celebration that was beginning, she sent a silent thought upward.

"You always win somehow, don't you?"

And her clear voice rang out in a joyous laugh.

* * *

Inside the TARDIS, John walked up to the console and steered the ship into the Time Vortex, now back to normal. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the Ood's final words to him.

"You are the Second Chapter."

* * *

Mary nestled close to him, his arms warming her through the cold wind. He had come. He was here. And all was well.

* * *

To be continued.

* * *

My sequel is posted. Age of Ice. Hope you'll read it and enjoy it! Thanks for sticking with my stories!


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